1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to printable forms formed in a rotary press. More specifically, the present invention concerns a continuous printable sheet, and individual printable forms sheeted therefrom, wherein the continuous printable sheet is formed by joining multiple continuous webs edge-to-edge and marrying the webs with a heat-resistant tape. A preferred embodiment of the inventive method of forming the continuous sheet includes utilizing at least one rotatable mechanical web guide to align the webs, thereby enabling precise alignment not available with existing optic-type web guides. A preferred embodiment of the printable form includes a heat-resistant tape that enables the form to be printed in high-heat printing applications (e.g., printed in an offline laser printer) without fracturing the taped seam.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
It is desirable in many printing applications to join multiple continuous webs in a press to form a single continuous printable sheet that can be printed, sheeted into forms before or after printing, etc. It is desirable to enable joining differing webs, for example, webs formed of different materials (e.g., paper, magnetic material, etc.) and/or having differing thicknesses (e.g., one web having a single layer and one web having multiple layers, etc.). However, the continuous printable sheet, and any individual form, or blank, formed therefrom, is preferably adapted to be subsequently fed through any desired printing system (e.g., a downstream inline print station in a press, an offline laser printer, etc.). Accordingly, the multiple webs must be sufficiently adhered together, or married, to enable the resulting sheet to withstand a subsequent printing operation. Adhesion applications have proven difficult and ineffective when using certain types of substrates, and have prevented the utilization of certain types of printing systems. For example, when a relatively thick substrate is used in one of the webs (e.g., a magnetic substrate, a plastic substrate, etc.) for joinder with a relatively thin web (e.g., paper, etc.), the thicker web must typically be overlain with the thinner web to provide the necessary strength of the seam. The thickness of the adhesion seam is undesirable if the resulting blank cannot be fed into a desktop printer, such as a laser or ink jet printer.
It is known in the art to overlay the edges of continuous webs and adhere the webs together with a glue-type adhesive to form a single continuous sheet. It is known in the art to utilize optic-type web guides to align the webs prior to joinder. One example of the prior art web guides are available as special orders (e.g., configured for the specific thickness and the width of the web as provided by the customer) from Coast Controls Inc. of Sarasota, Fla. It is also known in the art to utilize tape to retain die cut, removable sections in a continuous sheet or a blank, such as a card. These prior art joinder methods and prior art taping techniques are problematic and subject to several undesirable limitations.
For example, the prior art joinder methods produce a thick seam including both substrates and the adhesive, wherein the adhesive may comprise multiple layers. When one of the substrates is relatively thick (e.g., a magnetic or plastic substrate), the thick seams do not enable the forms to be fed into a laser printer. Moreover, the thickness of the seam hinders or even prevents the forms from being stacked up, as is desirable for offline printing applications. The prior art optic-type web guides used to align the substrates prior to joinder do not enable the desired tolerances for edge-to-edge marrying. For example, prior art web guides typically include a sensor that effects aligning movement of an upstream roller. However, there is a necessary delay in sensing a web is out of alignment and the corrective realignment of the upstream roller. This delay results in a see-saw type movement of the web, or a “loop.” Accordingly, prior art web guides are limited to alignment tolerances of about one-thirty-seconds inch or at best one-sixty-fourths inch. It is also known in the art to run the web over a stationary obstruction (e.g., a piece of metal, etc.) in the web's path to effect alignment. However, this method of alignment causes large amounts of friction between the web and the obstruction, which results in heat, which in turn leads to undesired damage of the web.
The prior art taping techniques do not enable the form or blank to be printed in some desirable printing systems. For example, it is becoming increasingly more popular for end users to print forms or blanks in their own desktop laser printers. However, these laser printers are relatively high-heat printing stations that subject the forms to temperatures as high as 175 degrees Fahrenheit. The prior art taping techniques utilized tape that could not withstand the temperatures of the high-heat printing stations, i.e., the tape would lose its integrity and the seam would fracture.